Microsoft Power Platform is redefining what’s possible with Microsoft Dynamics deployments, unlocking powerful new capabilities in a cost-effective and integrated way.
This is according to Garron Brewitt, Executive for Enterprise Applications, and Raezaan Hattingh, Head of the Microsoft Dynamics Practice at Altron Digital Business. They say Power Platform extends the core capabilities of Dynamics 365 to deliver scalable digital transformation tailored to real business needs.
“Dynamics 365 has shown strong momentum in the South African market," says Brewitt. “It grew by around 40% in 2021 and 2022, with a continued growth above 20% since then, and we expect this trajectory to accelerate”.
But he notes that ERP and CRM systems are not one-size-fits-all: “Many customers have niche requirements, and this is where Microsoft Power Platform shines, extending Dynamics 365 to meet specific business needs without the cost or complexity of building from scratch,” he says.
Today, leading enterprises across construction, public sector, financial services, manufacturing, distribution, retail and commerce are leveraging the combined power of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform to meet their niche requirements.
The Power Platform advantage
“Power Platform is the low-code, no-code platform that is built to work seamlessly with Dynamics,” explains Hattingh. “You don't need special tools or middleware to make it work across the Microsoft ecosystem. That’s what makes it so powerful.”
Together, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform offer a unified approach to business transformation; Dynamics 365 provides robust operational and customer engagement capabilities, while the Power Platform, comprising Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, Power Virtual Agents and AI Builder, introduces low-code tools to build apps, automate processes, deliver insights and apply AI with minimal development overhead. This combination unlocks tangible results.
“Ultimately, what makes this ecosystem so transformative is its ability to adapt rapidly to change while maintaining a unified data model (Dataverse), robust governance and Microsoft’s trusted security” she says.
Power features
“With Power Apps, teams can build tailored applications to simplify complex Dynamics 365 processes or fill functional gaps – from mobile apps for field inspections to lightweight approval tools,” says Hatting. “These apps are intuitive, fast to deploy and accessible to professional developers and business users.”
Hattingh explains that organisations can use Canvas apps to build user-friendly mobile or web apps for specific tasks, such as field sales reporting and inspections. They can also build model-driven apps to tailor D365 forms, views and business logic to fit industry-specific workflows. In addition, Power Apps can enhance portals, enabling secure external access for customers, vendors or partners integrated with D365 data. “An example is a manufacturing client that extended the D365 Supply Chain by creating a supplier onboarding portal with Power Apps Portals,” she says.
From manual to automated workflows through Power Automate
Power Automate brings agility to workflows, enabling cross-system automation triggered by Dynamics 365 events. It removes human error from manual tasks and replaces them with intelligent, reliable processes that integrate D365 with Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and external systems. From auto-routing service cases to orchestrating onboarding, the automation potential is extensive.
Use cases include:
- Triggering workflows from D365 events like approvals, notifications or record updates.
- Integrating legacy systems with D365 through UI-based bots.
- Cross-system integration to automate across Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Azure and third-party services.
“For example, you could automate quote approvals in D365 Sales with multi-level workflows routed through Microsoft Teams,” she says.
Power BI: Actionable intelligence where it matters
Power BI embeds actionable analytics directly into Dynamics 365 dashboards. It empowers decision-makers with real-time insights by combining internal and external data, fostering data-driven decisions at every level.
Hattingh says users can embed Power BI reports directly into D365 dashboards, combine 365 data with external sources for deeper insights or enable self-service BI, empowering end-users to create ad-hoc reports and visualisations without relying on IT. Some real-world examples include:
- A retail customer that combined Power BI with D365 Commerce to monitor basket size, stock-outs and promotional impact in real-time.
- NGO clients that use Power BI dashboards to comply with stringent international funding reporting standards.
Leveraging AI Builder, Power Virtual Agents for smarter, scalable operations
Power AI Builder and Power Virtual Agents add intelligence and scalability to business operations. Predictive models, document recognition and chatbots enhance the Dynamics 365 experience, reducing response times and increasing consistency.
With Power Virtual Agents, organisations can deploy customer service bots to handle common queries or seamlessly route issues to human agents via D365 Customer Service. They can also automate HR or IT support through integrated bots tied to D365 HR or custom entities. One example is a banking client that created a loan FAQ chatbot embedded in its D365 Portal for 24/7 customer support.
Using AI Builder, organisations can unlock more intelligent decision-making with minimal development effort. Hattingh explains that its capabilities range from building predictive models to forecast sales, customer churn or demand directly within D365, extracting data from PDFs or invoices into D365 Finance, or enabling inventory management or asset inspection use cases. For example, an Altron Digital Business client used AI Builder to auto-classify and route insurance claims to the correct team within D365.
Power partnership
“Dynamics 365 gives you structure and policy. Power Platform gives you agility,” says Brewitt. “Together, they allow organisations to build apps, automate tasks, uncover insights and scale AI with minimal development overheads.” This combination, he adds, leads to tangible results:
- Eliminate repetitive manual processes and human errors.
- Automate key processes.
- Respond to events instantly.
- Make informed decisions in real-time, rather than waiting on monthly reports.
Importantly, Brewitt notes that both platforms are enterprise-grade technologies yet affordably priced: “Licensing costs are very competitive, the implementation costs are mid-tier and the go-to-market is faster and simpler than most alternatives. That’s why sectors like NGOs, education and the public sector are embracing this technology.”
As a long-standing Microsoft partner, Altron Digital Business helps businesses design, build and optimise solutions that drive growth and innovation.
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